


Duty of Care

by lemonmangosorbet



Series: Can You Make My Heart Stop? [2]
Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Canon Compliant, M/M, Pining, Pre-Relationship, ok that last tag isn't totally accurate but it's too funny not to add sdghkjfd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 09:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30137277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonmangosorbet/pseuds/lemonmangosorbet
Summary: It was difficult, almost impossible, for Nyx to raise two godlings while also assisting Hades with his new role. This was when Charon found himself inheriting more responsibility than he’d asked for.
Relationships: Charon/Hermes (Hades Video Game)
Series: Can You Make My Heart Stop? [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2225070
Comments: 10
Kudos: 101





	Duty of Care

**Author's Note:**

> so, what started as [a silly idea that I tweeted about](https://twitter.com/lemonmangoes/status/1371850976265703432) turned into a fic with over 5000 words 😳
> 
> I was partly inspired by [this fanart](https://twitter.com/katsugenki/status/1313136467359592449) I saw on my twitter timeline too, so I feel it's only fair to credit it in my author's notes
> 
> and for reference: in this fic, I imagine the twins (Hypnos and Thanatos) to be at that baby stage just before they turn 1 year old. not quite toddler age yet, but able to do so much more than a young baby- it's a very fun age :3
> 
> oh, I should also say, you can consider this fic to be in the same au as _[Three Thousand Years From Now](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29960415)_ except of course the events of this fic take place thousands of years before that one lol
> 
> for those of you about to read: I hope you enjoy! ❤️

Charon had one job. He had been created to fulfil this purpose, and he knew how to do it well. Row the skiff, collect the obol from the shades, and then deliver them to their respective destinations in the Underworld. Since the day he had taken the oar, he could feel it deep within him; he knew what to do and he would do it well.

It wasn’t until the Underworld fell under the new management of Hades that aspects of Charon’s job became more _interesting._ He was introduced to another god from Olympus, a son of Zeus and god in his own right, Hermes. His official title was: the God of Swiftness, and it was for this very reason the Olympians decided he could assist the Underworld by getting those pesky dead souls down to the Temple of Styx quicker. Charon didn’t understand what the rush was for, but he proceeded with his duties whether the souls arrived in their own time or quicker.

In the early days of their new working relationship, Charon hadn’t cared too much for Hermes. If he was honest, he had found the Olympian god annoying. The way he talked endlessly about anything. The way he could never keep still, especially when he talked and he ended up gesticulating to punctuate every word. The way his wings beat furiously to keep him afloat. It was all a distraction, and it distracted Charon from his purpose.

In addition, the Temple was more full of souls than usual, so the wait to collect all the obols from the dead seemed never-ending. Hermes was obviously quite proficient at collecting the souls of the dead. Charon at least had to commend him for that, but it meant it gave him extra work to do. And whilst Hermes didn’t have to linger after delivering the souls, he would anyway, until the skiff was full.

But as time went on, as it always did, Charon found he grew fonder and fonder of the little god. It had not evaded Charon that Hermes was a trickster, but that didn’t mean Hermes didn’t take his job seriously. His father had entrusted him with numerous responsibilities, all of which Hermes told Charon about in great detail. One thing Charon could admire was someone with a good work ethic.

More time went on, and when Hermes wasn’t there, Charon found he missed it. He missed the mostly one-sided conversations, the sound of wings beating against air, the laughter from Hermes that seemed to pour out over Charon and fill him with warmth. So then, the time they did spend together, Charon cherished even more.

The changes in the Underworld were not just a result of Hades’ new management. Charon’s mother, Nyx, had recently had twins; two little gods named Thanatos and Hypnos. Soon enough they would grow up and within themselves they would feel the pull, the same way Charon did, and they would know what their role in the Underworld would be. But for now, Nyx was tied up with nurturing them both while still trying to keep the House in order. Hades could do a lot of the work himself, but he still needed help and guidance from Nyx.

It was difficult, almost impossible, for Nyx to raise two godlings while also assisting Hades with his new role. This was when Charon found himself inheriting more responsibility than he’d asked for.

* * *

“My son.”

Charon was sailing past the House of Hades, and his mother’s voice called to him. As he docked his boat, Nyx was waiting for him on the marble, a godling in each arm.

“Hheeehhhhhh…?” Charon asked.

“It pleases me to see you, my child. I have a favour to ask of you.”

Charon waited.

“Lord Hades has been married, and his bride is our new Queen. Queen Persephone. She has only just arrived in our realm and she needs much guidance on the ways of the Underworld.”

Charon pondered a moment; the name Persephone was familiar to him. He recalled a conversation with Hermes where the god told him about how Demeter’s daughter had gone missing recently.

Charon continued to listen, waiting to hear what favour it was his mother wanted to ask of him.

“Could you take your brothers for the time being? Just until I’ve helped the new Queen settle in. It should not take long.”

She wasn’t asking him for a favour, not really. This was a demand, and Charon had to fulfil it. He assumed that if Nyx had come to him, it was because there was no one else she could ask to take care of them. Charon didn’t really have the option to decline.

“Urrrnngghhhh…” Charon accepted the new responsibility.

“Thank you my child.” Nyx replied, approaching the skiff.

Carefully she passed each godling, one at a time, to Charon. Then he was on his skiff with a baby brother in each arm. He looked down at them; both of them were fast asleep, which Charon was grateful for, and he hoped they would remain peaceful like this for as long as possible.

Once the precious godlings were in Charon’s possession, Nyx disappeared, presumably to attend to her other responsibilities. Charon felt his own duties tug on him too; he knew within his core it was time to collect the dead from the Temple of Styx.

He moved to the bow of his boat, where there was a small alcove under what looked like a seat. In this alcove he tended to hide a few personal belongings, ones that he preferred to keep on his skiff with him rather than in his private living quarters in Erebus. Charon shifted the keepsakes to make room for the twins. He laid them down carefully in the alcove so as not to wake them, tucking their blankets around them. The babies stirred but did not wake; Charon was thankful for that. He was sure the gentle rocking of his skiff on the water would sooth them and they would remain asleep.

Maybe this new responsibility wouldn’t be that bad.

* * *

“It’s funny how the humans tend to fear Ares the most out of all us gods on Olympus, but believe me, they wouldn’t want to get on Aphrodite’s bad side. Recently Ares ticked her off, and hoo boy, you do not want to know how long she spent plotting her revenge on him!”

Hermes had taken his usual spot after guiding the souls into the Temple, next to Charon’s side, excitedly telling Charon gossip about his family on Olympus. Charon listened, as he always did, whilst standing by his skiff and accepting the obol from the dead. He was acutely aware though of the precious cargo still on his boat. He _was_ paying attention to Hermes, but he was also listening out for any sound of a baby stirring.

“Hey boss, do you mind if I take the boat with you this time? I’ve got some time to kill before my next job and I’d love to talk to you some more.”

Any other time, Charon would have gladly accepted the opportunity to spend more time with Hermes. However, this time, he couldn’t afford the distraction.

But before Charon could protest, Hermes was already flying over into the skiff, looking for a spot to sit.

“Do you mind if I take your seat at the front?” Hermes pointed to the bench at the bow, the one over the alcove.

“Grrhhoooaaahhhhhh!” Charon shouted in protest, which caught Hermes by surprise.

“What? You’ll be standing up while you’re rowing, so you won’t need it, right?”

“Mmnnnrraaauuugggghhh!” Charon complained again.

Hermes eyes were fixed on Charon, an incredulous look on his face.

“Alright boss! Don’t get your robes in a twist! Didn’t realise you were so sensitive about who sits in your seat.”

Charon breathed a sigh of relief, emitting purple haze between his teeth. Hermes reluctantly took a seat near the front, sat between a shade and the side of the skiff.

During their journey through the many levels of the Underworld, Hermes had lost some of his usual energy that Charon loved so much. Obviously Charon’s strange reaction about the seat at the bow had knocked some of the wind from Hermes’ sails. He continued his story about Ares and Aphrodite, but it did not sound as exciting as it had done earlier, now that Hermes’ energetic tone was gone.

Soon all the shades had been delivered to their final destinations, and Charon was left with just Hermes on his boat. All he had to do was take the god back to the Temple and he could be on his way. Then Charon could check on his brothers. He hadn’t heard a peep from them, so he assumed they were still sleeping soundly.

They were back in the Temple and the skiff slowed down as it reached it’s dock.

“I guess this is my stop!” Hermes said. This time he seemed eager to leave, and Charon couldn’t help feeling disappointment at that. He had never meant to make Hermes feel unwelcome in his presence.

Hermes’ wings commenced their movement so he could take off,

“See you next time, my professional associate!”

Charon raised a hand to wave him off, but just at that moment, a piercing cry rang through the Temple.

Charon froze, horrified. Hermes’ eyes grew wide.

Right on cue, a second scream joined the first; a cacophony of cries emerged from the alcove at the front of Charon’s boat and echoed throughout the Temple.

“What was that?” Hermes asked.

“Hrroooooooohhhh…” Charon replied.

“Don’t tell me it was nothing!” Hermes exclaimed. Instead of leaving, he was now flying around and past Charon to get to the source of the noise. It was too late.

“Oh my… Charon, you’ve been holding out on me! Why didn’t you tell me you were running some sort of nursery here? If I’d known I could have brought some of the godlings and demi-gods from Olympus for you to look after too!”

Hermes had his head practically shoved in the alcove, and he’d found the twins that Charon had tried so hard to hide.

“Oh boss, no wonder you were being so peculiar about your seat! Why didn’t you just tell me you had some special guests onboard?”

Without even asking for permission, Hermes had already picked up one of the godlings. He held Hypnos, who was wrapped in a luxurious red blanket. The godling wailed, and tears poured down his chubby cheeks. Hermes tried to sooth the baby,

“Shh, shh. There, there, little one. I’ve got you know.”

Hermes held the bundle closer to his chest, murmuring comforting words, and Hypnos quickly calmed down. Charon was amazed.

Thanatos, on the other hand, was still wailing in the alcove. He managed to kick the blanket that had been wrapped around him off, and Charon proceeded to pick his little brother up and hold him at arm's length, slightly unsure what to do. It was easy for Hermes to comfort a child; he practically radiated warmth and had a soft smile that could bring comfort to anyone who looked upon him. Charon doubted Thanatos would find much comfort in him.

“What are you doing?” Hermes laughed. However, his laughter wasn’t malicious; he seemed to sense that Charon had no idea what he was doing.

“You want to wrap him up in his blanket, the tighter the better. The humans call it swaddling. Apparently it makes the baby feel safe and secure.”

Charon promptly picked up the blanket that Thanatos had kicked off and carefully wrapped his brother up in it. Charon tried to mimic the way Hermes was cradling Hypnos, rocking him back and forth. It seemed to help; Thanatos quietened down but his eyes remained open, staring up at Charon.

_“You are not my mother.”_

Charon was sure he could imagine what his little brother was thinking.

* * *

The twins were back in the alcove, sleeping soundly after Hermes and Charon had soothed them. The skiff drifted idly along the Styx while Charon and Hermes sat opposite each other and talked, keeping their voices down as much as they could so as not to wake the godlings.

“So your mother is busy introducing Persephone to her new queenly duties? Well, I never! I knew Persephone wasn’t keen on living in Olympus, but I never thought the Underworld would be her second choice! … No offence!”

“Hhhaaaaaahhh…” Charon replied; he had not been offended.

“That is one juicy piece of gossip you’ve given me, my dear associate! But don’t worry, that secret is safe with me. The fact that Demeter thinks her daughter has gone missing leads me to believe she doesn’t know Persephone is down here with mister blood and darkness himself!”

Charon was sure that Hermes would keep his word. Despite Hermes also being the god of trickery, Charon had grown to trust the Olympian god over the years, and seeing the way he’d helped with the twins, Charon couldn’t help growing to trust him more.

“Funny though that Nyx would entrust her young godlings to you. Is there really no one else in your realm that could look after them while she deals with her other duties?”

“Hrroooooooohhhh…”

“And I take it you’ve never had to take care of young godlings before? I mean, it was pretty obvious when you picked up little Thanatos there that you had no idea what you were doing.”

Hermes smirked as he recalled the way Charon had held his little brother, but his smile was also sympathetic.

“Grrhhoooaaahhhhhh…?”

“Well it’s a good thing I’m here then! As you may have noticed, I’m an absolute natural when it comes to childcare. Up on Olympus we have a whole host of little godlings and sometimes baby demi-gods to raise. If only my father would learn to keep his dick under his tunic!”

Charon laughed at Hermes’ brashness. His laughter made the obols on his hat and collar-piece clink against each other, and Charon’s purple smoke poured out of his mouth and surrounded them both. Hermes joined in with the laughter too; his was like a beautiful song Charon was happy to hear.

They’d been drifting along the Styx for a while, and Hermes had his back to the alcove where the twins lay. He turned on the bench he was sat on so he could face the bow, and decided to check-in on the godlings. Charon turned his attention to the scenery they were floating past. Views he had gazed upon countless times before, but now with the company of Hermes and their laughter, he saw a new beauty in the passing landscapes.

“H-Hey, boss?”

Hermes' voice didn’t sound right, and Charon’s gaze immediately snapped back to his companion.

“Now correct me if I’m wrong, but we had two babies earlier, right?!”

Hermes turned around and revealed that while Hypnos was still bundled up in his blanket and sleeping, the black blanket that belonged to Thanatos was empty.

Charon stared at the empty space where his little brother had been and then turned to the look of horror on Hermes’ face. He felt an emotion swell inside himself that he did not experience often: fear.

Immediately, Charon lunged towards the side of the skiff. Had Thanatos fallen out over the side of the boat? He stared into the waters of the Styx, not really sure what he expected to see. What if his brother had fallen overboard a long time ago, and they had just continued their journey, leaving the baby behind in the river?

Hermes seemed to guess at what Charon was thinking,

“Charon, I’m sure if he’d fallen off the boat, we would have heard him.”

Hands were on Charon’s shoulders now, giving them a reassuring squeeze. He turned to look at Hermes, who was standing right next to him. They were so close, and under any other circumstances, Charon might have been flustered by this. But he was too preoccupied with panic, and although Hermes tried to bring him comfort, there was also worry in his expression.

The commotion of Charon launching himself across the skiff had disturbed the remaining child, and Hypnos was crying again. Hermes immediately tended to him, picking him up and cradling him like earlier.

Charon decided that Hermes was right; if Thanatos had climbed over the side of the skiff and fallen into the Styx, they would have heard the splash immediately. They searched every inch of the boat and Thanatos was nowhere to be found. Charon was sure his brother was only able to crawl, so he couldn’t have gotten very far.

What would they do? Where had Thanatos gone?

* * *

The skiff brought them to the realm of Erebus, specifically the private chambers that belonged to Charon. As he was an immortal deity, he did not often feel exhaustion, but the events of the day had absolutely tired him.

Charon had traversed the entire Underworld with Hermes in tow, in search of his missing brother. Hermes had fashioned himself a sling out of some fabric he had in his messenger’s bag, and he used it to carry around Hypnos as they wandered through Elysium, Asphodel and Tartarus, looking for the lost child. They searched in every chamber they could, asking shades who were able to speak if they’d seen a child wandering about on his own recently. But everywhere they went, and no matter who they asked, the answer was the same: no.

The only place they had not been to search for the child was the House of Hades itself. Charon was terrified of bumping into his mother at the House and having to explain that he’d managed to lose one of her precious sons. He had never faced his mother’s wrath before, and he wasn’t keen on incurring it now.

“Let’s try and look at the bright side, boss. We know Thanatos is a god, so he should be immortal. If he did fall in the river and drown, he should just wind up in the pool of Styx in the House, right?”

Hermes was right, but it still didn’t reassure Charon at all. He couldn’t believe Nyx had given him this one responsibility and he’d managed to fail miserably. Eventually he would have to return to the House and tell his mother what had happened, but for now, he wanted nothing more than some time to rest.

These were his private chambers, and Charon never took visitors, but in his exhaustion he didn’t care that he was allowing Hermes into this reclusive part of his life.

After the skiff had docked itself, Charon floated towards one of the many rooms that exclusively belonged to him. Hermes promptly followed behind, his wings beating against the air so he could keep up. He still wore the sling he’d made for himself with baby Hypnos inside, cradled against his chest. During the entire search for Thanatos, Hypnos had been as good as gold and did nothing but sleep. If only Thanatos behaved in the same way as his twin.

They approached a chamber door, and sensing Charon’s presence, it opened for them. Charon waited, however, allowing Hermes to proceed before him. He doubted Hermes even knew how significant this was; no one else had ever been permitted in Charon’s bedchambers before.

As Charon turned to follow the other god into his living quarters, he bumped into Hermes, who remained frozen just in the entrance to the room. He thought perhaps that Hermes had been surprised by the interior of the room itself. In the centre was a large extravagant bed, despite Charon having no need for sleep, and the walls were covered with shelving. Each shelf hosted an assortment of trinkets that Charon had amassed over the aeons.

But it wasn’t the room that had caused Hermes to stop midair. Charon soon caught sight of exactly what it was that had caused the other god to halt.

There, in the middle of the bed, was baby Thanatos. He was sleeping soundly on the assortment of blankets and pillows that Charon kept on his bed.

“Well, will you look at that!”

Hermes turned to look up at Charon, his face beaming with a smile and relief. Charon could feel it too; he was awash with the feeling of relief. Confusion also gnawed at his mind; how had Thanatos gotten into one of the most secure chambers of Erebus? However, Charon didn’t care, he was much too relieved to care about the details.

They entered the room, the chamber door left ajar behind them. Hermes carefully undid the sling he wore, and then lay Hypnos down to sleep next to his brother.

“There we go. Back with your brother.”

Hermes leaned back and looked down at the twins, hands on his hips. Then he turned to Charon and smiled tenderly.

“You have to admit, they are cute when they’re sleeping.”

Charon agreed the statement was true, but after the grief Thanatos had given him, he was unwilling to say it out loud.

With all of Charon’s earlier worries washing away, he turned and collapsed onto his bed. The force of his sudden movement caused his hat to fall off his head. He heard it fall somewhere on the floor, but he didn’t care enough to look. Charon’s bed was so large and covered in so many various blankets, that when it took his weight, the movement barely stirred the twins next to him.

Hermes looked down at all three of them on the bed and giggled,

“What’s wrong, boss? Didn’t want to be left out? Yes, all three gods laying on this bed before me are very cute.”

Charon could feel the fluttering in his ethereal heart at Hermes’ words, but he tried not to dwell on them too much. Instead, he rolled over onto his side to check on his brothers. Thanatos was awake now, but he wasn’t crying. The godling rolled onto his front and then crawled over the various pillows and blankets until he reached Charon’s side. Charon reached out to his little brother, and the gold of his rings and bracelets caught the attention of the child. Thanatos was happy to grab at them, trying to pull them off.

Hermes joined them on the bed and was searching through his bag for something. Eventually he found what he was looking for and pulled it out. It was gold, which caught Charon’s attention, but Hermes held it out for Thanatos and shook the item. It made a pleasant sound that captured the godling’s attention.

“There you go little trouble-maker.” Hermes said, giving the object to Thanatos.

Thanatos happily shook it himself, enjoying the rattling sound it made. Hermes smiled as he watched Thanatos play, and Charon found he couldn’t stop admiring the look on Hermes’ face.

“I think that was a gift for Apollo when he was born. Some minor god asked me to deliver it to Zeus on their behalf. But Hera was so pissed off at my dad when she found out about Apollo, that I didn’t even dare deliver it! By the time I remembered, Apollo was already grown, and I doubted he wanted it by then.”

Whatever the reason was that Hermes had the rattle in his possession, Charon didn’t care. He was just grateful that Hermes was still here and happy to help. Charon wasn’t sure he could have managed with the twins without Hermes’ help. The day had only served to amplify all the feelings Charon had been having towards Hermes recently.

For a while, the four of them remained as they were on the bed. The only noise was that of the rattle and the excited gurgles from Thanatos as he played with it. Hermes sat on the bed, watching over the little god, occasionally talking nonsense to him; Charon supposed it was the type of talk babies liked to hear. None of it disturbed Hypnos, who remained asleep. Charon surveyed it all from where he lay on the bed, and he felt pure bliss.

“Greetings, my son.”

Nyx was floating in the doorway to the chamber. She had pushed the door that was ajar open so there was more room for her.

At the sound of her voice, Thanatos turned, rattle still in his hand, but arms outstretched; his plea to be picked up by his mother. She approached the bed and did just that, scooping up the little godling into her loving embrace.

Charon rose from his position on the bed; he wasn’t used to his mother seeing him act so casually.

“Thank you my child for looking after your brothers for me.” Nyx said, as she looked at the rattle Thanatos held.

Hermes must have noticed how she was looking at the trinket and piped up,

“Oh, he can keep that! Consider it as a gift from me to you, Lady Nyx.”

“Thank you.” she replied. Nyx paused, contemplating something and then she continued, “I did not realise Olympian gods such as yourself were granted access to so much of our realm.”

There was no anger in her tone, but Charon still felt fear rising inside himself. It was him who indulged Hermes and allowed him access to all the Underworld. Perhaps he shouldn’t have done this? Had he broken an unspoken rule?

“Nevertheless,” Nyx continued, “no matter how unconventional it is, I am glad that you take such an interest in our realm… And our gods.”

Charon almost breathed a sigh of relief.

Nyx bent down to pick up Hypnos from the bed. At that, the godling woke from his slumber and a smile spread across his face at the sight of his mother.

“I am sure your brothers were no trouble for you, my son?” Nyx asked.

Hermes jumped in to answer for him,

“No problem at all, Lady Nyx! You should have seen Charon with the twins. He’s a natural!”

“I am glad to hear it.” she replied with a smile, “I must return to the House now, my son. I do hope it is not long until we meet again.”

Nyx bid farewell to Hermes too and floated towards the open door, but just before leaving, she added,

“I believe I forgot to mention earlier about Thanatos’ special gift. He has been blessed with a gift to teleport wherever he wants in an instant. I hope he didn’t cause trouble for you.”

“Really? I never would have guessed!” Hermes responded, a look of surprise spread across his face, “He’s been as good as gold the entire time we’ve had him!”

Charon watched as Hermes smiled sweetly at his mother; almost a picture of innocence. Charon was unsure whether Nyx would take the lie she was being fed.

“That is good to hear. But you have been forewarned for next time, if I choose to leave your brothers with you again.”

With that final statement, she was gone. The chamber door closed behind her and Charon again collapsed onto his bed, letting go of the breath he’d been holding. It caused purple haze to fill the room. Hermes collapsed down beside him, full of laughter. The sudden movement caused the smoke in the air to swirl in interesting patterns.

“Well, at least now we know that Thanatos is a little escape artist by nature!”

Hermes was practically rolling with laughter, clutching at his sides as he chuckled, and tears collecting in the corners of his eyes. The laughter was infectious, and Charon joined in too, more smoke billowing out from his mouth.

From the way they were both lying on the bed, they were eye level, and their faces mere inches apart. Eventually the laughter stopped, and they were just looking at each other. Charon admired the beauty of Hermes’ face, absorbing every little detail he could see now they were so close.

It would be so easy to close the gap between them, to press his skeletal features against those soft lips. Charon wasn’t sure if a kiss between them could even work, but it would be enough just to feel Hermes’ lips on his face. He wondered what it would feel like, and what Hermes might taste like. After the events of the day, Charon’s heart had never been so full of love for another.

Hermes must have noticed the change in Charon’s demeanour, almost as if he could read exactly what Charon was thinking. The god suddenly looked flustered, his cheeks growing pink. He sat up in an instant.

“Gosh, what is the time? How long have I been here? I better get moving boss! You know the drill- lots to do and always more to do after that! And if father dearest finds out I’ve been slacking, I’ll never hear the end of it!”

With that Hermes was grabbing his bag and preparing to fly out the door, but before he could, Charon grabbed the god by the wrist and looked deep into his warm, brown eyes.

“Rhhuuaaaauugghhhh…” Charon said, will all the sincerity he had within himself.

“Oh boss, you don’t need to thank me. It’s been my pleasure spending time with you… Plus, I could see you needed a hand with those brothers of yours, and I was more than happy to help!”

Hermes glanced down to the hand around his wrist, and his blush only deepened in colour. Charon decided to take pity on Hermes, and he let go. He’d given his thanks to the god before he left, and that was the main thing. There were other things that could be left unsaid.

Hermes departed, shouting his farewells as he shot out the chamber door at the speed of light.

Charon was alone again, and he flopped back to lie on his bed. He grabbed one of the pillows Hermes had rested his head on and brought it closer to him. It smelt like Hermes and the scent would not linger for long. It was aromas that were foreign to Charon; smells from the human world. The smell of spices traded at marketplaces, the scent of salt-spray from the sea, and the smell of grass just after summer rain. Charon breathed it all in and then let out a long sigh.

In the early days of their relationship, he had considered Hermes an annoyance. He was a distraction from Charon’s main purpose and role. Even now, Hermes was still a distraction, but for a completely different reason. He had become a distraction that Charon did not mind; if anything, he welcomed it. It gave him something to look forward to each and every day when he docked his skiff in the Temple of Styx.

Charon’s work had given him reason for his existence; it had given him a sense of fulfilment. But now, it was the love he felt towards Hermes that made him feel like his existence had purpose.

**Author's Note:**

> does Nyx know that Thanatos teleported off the skiff and gave Charon the fright of his life? quite possibly lmao
> 
> does she also know that Hermes has an _interest_ in a certain chthonic god? again, quite possibly sdghjf- I'll leave that up for you to decide 😉
> 
> also, this fic ended up being a lot of mushy Charmes feels, but I could not help it!!! they are in love! and I am in love with their love for each other! aaaah
> 
> you can find me on twitter:  
> my main: [@lemonmangoes](https://twitter.com/lemonmangoes)  
> my nsfw: [@spicemangoes](https://twitter.com/spicemangoes)
> 
> and tumblr: [lemonmangosorbet](https://lemonmangosorbet.tumblr.com/)
> 
> thanks for reading! kudos and comments always appreciated! ❤️


End file.
